Newsmonth #4 2019

The newspaper of the Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch (vol 39 #4) June 2019 PP 100000871 ISSN No: 0728-4845

FAIR WORK COMMISSION HEARING STARTS FOR

EARLY CHILDHOOD

TEACHERS IEU team: left to right Arthur Dowdle, Michael Wright, Carol Matthews and Verena Heron

After nearly six years, the IEU claim for early childhood teachers is finally at the evidence stage before the Fair Work Commission.

Evidence from IEU witnesses started on Tuesday 11 June with the case to run for nearly four weeks. The final submissions will be heard in early August.

The Union has two key bases of our claim for higher pay rates.

The first is a claim for an Equal Remuneration Order, seeking higher rates of pay for teachers in early childhood services, because they are paid less than male employees who have similar skills, qualifications and responsibilities. We are using male engineers and male primary teachers as comparator groups with early childhood teachers, who are overwhelmingly female. The second is a claim that the Teachers Modern Award rates have been set too low and do not reflect the proper work value of any teacher, including teachers in schools.

Almost all teachers in schools receive rates of pay higher than the Modern Award rates because they are paid by enterprise agreements.

In comparison, a significant number of early childhood teachers, especially in long day care centres, are paid close to the Modern Award rates. The Modern Award rates are more than $30,000 per annum less than the prevailing enterprise agreement rates.

The IEU has called evidence from many witnesses including early

childhood teachers, primary and secondary school teachers, engineers, academic experts, industry experts and remuneration experts.

We are represented by senior barristers in the proceedings.

Our claims are opposed by private profit making child care centres. No employers in schools have opposed the claim.

If we are successful, the Fair Work Commission decision will result in pay rises for teachers in early childhood services. There are also a very small number of teachers in schools who will directly benefit if the Modern Award rates are increased.

However, for all teachers an improvement in the Modern Award rates will mean that, when enterprise agreements are assessed against the Modern Award by the Fair Work Commission, the test is made against realistic rates of pay, not those which bear no relationship to fair rates of pay.

Unfortunately, because of the size and complexity of the case, the Union does not expect a decision for some months after the conclusion of the hearings in August.

However, we are hoping that in the meantime, employers will look more closely at fair rates of pay for early childhood teachers. One large private sector child care provider has already increased rates of pay for its teachers and we hope more will do so.

Carol Matthews Assistant Secretary

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NESA REGISTERED

(vol 39 #4) June 2019

Contents Executive reports 2, 3

News

5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 16, 17, 18

Feature 1, 4, 8, 9

International 12, 14

Reports 4, 6, 15

Member stories 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17

Superannuation insurance alert

Member benefits 18, 19

Gloria Taylor

Deputy Secretary

Newsmonth is published eight times a year (two issues per term) by the Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch Executive Editor: John Quessy, Secretary for and on behalf of the IEU Executive and members Managing Editor: Bronwyn Ridgway Journalist: Sue Osborne Graphic Design: Chris Ruddle Online Journalist and Photographer: Angus Hoy Contributions and letters from members are welcome. These do not reflect endorsement if printed, and may be edited for size and style at the Editor's discretion. They should be forwarded to: Newsmonth 485-501 Wattle Street ULTIMO NSW 2007 GPO Box 116 SYDNEY NSW 2001 Tel: 8202 8900 Toll free: 1800 467 943 Email: ieu@ieu.asn.au www.ieu.asn.au facebook.com/ieunswact twitter.com/#!/IEUNSWACT

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newsmonth - www.ieu.asn.au

New insurance ‘opt-in’ requirements proposed by the Federal Government come into effect from 1 July 2019. Previous arrangements provided insurance as part of the super package unless members actively opted out of the insurance.

The changes are part of the Federal Government’s Protecting Your Super package that aims to protect Australians’ super savings from unnecessary erosion by fees and insurance costs.

There is a risk, however, of some members losing their insurance cover because their accounts are considered to be inactive.

From 1 July super funds will be unable to continue to provide any insurance cover to inactive accounts unless the holder of the account elects to maintain the insurance cover. Inactive accounts are defined as accounts receiving no contributions for 16 months.

You could be affected by the changes if you have any insurance cover through your super accumulation account for death, total and permanent disablement (TPD) and/or salary continuance and your super account has not received contributions for a consecutive 16 months.

Super funds are sending multiple alerts to members who are in danger of insurance cancellation, but it is not uncommon for people to miss information in an environment of mass communication.

Women are a particular group that are likely to lose default insurance due to economic inactivity, particularly those in the child raising years of 25-54.

Further opt-in insurance changes The Government has reintroduced further opt-in measures in a new bill, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Putting Members’ Interests First) Bill 2019. The legislation would make all insurance opt-in for new members under the age of 25. The start date of 1 July 2019 for this legislation has now been pushed back.

With such changes on the agenda the Union encourages all members to stay in touch with your super accounts including your insurance arrangements. You are also advised to always check your insurance cover before switching or consolidating super funds to ensure you can get the death, TPD or income protection in your chosen fund.

For information about NGS’ award winning insurance see p19.

JOIN THE IEU AND MAKE A MARK IN YOUR CHAPTER

www.ieu.asn.au

Expect more of the same, or worse John Quessy Secretary

The result of the federal election was undoubtedly a surprise to many and certainly highlighted the inability of opinion polls to accurately predict outcomes.

Whether this is a fundamental problem with their methodology or with the assumptions the survey companies make about key issues is now a contested area.

Democracy is indeed a strange beast and predicting the issues of greatest priority to voters is clearly a precarious pastime.

Whatever the issues playing most on the minds of the electorate were, they do not seem to have included education or industrial relations.

We are conscious that voting decisions are seldom made on the basis of a single policy but as a trade union and an education trade union we set out before the election to highlight the policy positions of the major parties on education and workplace rights.

In our view our members would be best served in these areas by an ALP government, but that was not to be.

Following so close on the NSW election the federal result should not have been a surprise because voters in this state

returned a government resolute on dropping the current 2.5% wages cap to 2%.

The NSW electorate, including those dependent on public sector wage increases, voted to decrease the capacity for their own wages growth. In regard to their income they voted against self interest.

In Canberra, the return of a coalition means that government schools will remain underfunded and continue to fall well short of the agreed schools resourcing standard.

“The Federal Government, which employs no teachers and operates no schools, will continue to construct and implement policy which impacts on and directs the work of teachers and schools without consultation or concern for the effect of that policy.”

This is bad news for students and bad news for all those who use government school wages and conditions as a benchmark. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Teachers, in particular, will likely continue to experience the command and control from Canberra as AITSL, which

continues to not represent teachers, adds to teacher workload with new demands not referenced to the daily realities of classroom practitioners.

We can expect more testing, more data collection, more reporting and greater accountability but less time to prepare and teach. Quite likely we will endure more lectures by those who don’t teach about what we are doing wrong and how we should be going about our work.

There is unlikely to be any trust in the professional judgement of the teaching force.

The Federal Government, which employs no teachers and operates no schools, will continue to construct and implement policy which impacts on and directs the work of teachers and schools without consultation or concern for the effect of that policy. Industrial laws will remain unchanged (or perhaps be toughened) to ensure that there can be no resistance or fightback.

Legal industrial action will only be allowed every three or four years during bargaining periods and after implementing authorisation processes which are designed to fail.

In the meantime, governments, government authorities and employers will continue to change or add to the work of teachers and school staff with impunity.

In short, more of the same but it could get a lot worse.

Professional experience supervision agreement finalised Mark Northam

Assistant Secretary

Following lengthy but productive negotiations the following universities in NSW have reached agreement with the IEU regarding pay rates and understandings as to the operation of professional experience (practicum) placements: Alphacrucis College Australian Catholic University Australian College of Physical Education Avondale College of Higher Education Charles Sturt University Excelsia College Macquarie University Southern Cross University University of New England University of New South Wales

University of Newcastle University of Notre Dame (Australia), Sydney University of Sydney University of Sydney (Conservatorium of Music) University of Technology Sydney Western Sydney University University of Wollongong The negotiated rates are: 2019 - $31.50 per day 2020 - $33.00 per day 2021 - $34.00 per day Core principles in the agreement provide clarity of expectations for both universities and teachers: • that a high quality PE Program is dependent on the professional commitment and collaborative efforts of both teachers in schools and the initial teacher education provider, and

• that high quality PE is dependent on the voluntary engagement by teachers in schools.

Member concerns regarding an entire staff being directed to take student teachers has been addressed, as has the reality that developing student teachers is a joint responsibility.

Universities from other states and territories not signatory to the NSW arrangements should be advised that NSW has an agreed rate that must be adhered to should they wish to place student teachers in a school.

Contact your local IEU organiser if you require assistance with interstate universities attempting to undermine NSW conditions.

Arrangements for internships are made clear in the revised agreement. The agreement states “an internship is not a pre

or post graduation period of on-the-job training, nor an employer arranged form of concurrent on-the-job training while undertaking an ITE course”.

Payment for mentoring supervising teachers is set at 20% of the current rate in recognition of the greater independence of the teacher education student intern.

Importantly, included in the agreement is a lengthy list of NESA registered professional development linked to the role of mentoring initial teacher education students inclusive of Highly Accomplished and Lead.

A prescriptive spreadsheet of the universities and the plethora of teacher education courses is also provided to enable members to readily determine whether a particular course is an internship or not.

newsmonth - Vol 39 #4 2019

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Present Tense

Election aftermath Kendall Warren Organiser

Australia went to the polls last month, and the results were disappointing for those of us seeking change.

However, your Union will continue to advocate for members as we have always done.

There have been many reasons put forward for the surprise result, but it seems that Labor’s risk in putting forward a large array of changes, prosecuted by a leader that struggled to cut through, did not pay off. The proposed Adani coal mine in central Queensland was also significant, seeing large swings north of the Tweed that made the ALP’s task next to impossible.

However, your Union, while supportive of the campaigns of both the ACTU and the Labor Party, was also conscious of not putting all our eggs in one basket. We know that relying on political change is no substitute for old fashioned union virtues, such as direct engagement with members, building capacity in our workplaces, and bringing what pressure we can to bear in pursuit of genuine improvements for our members.

Lockout The election carnage was not the only excitement in Queensland in recent weeks. Langports English Colleges

have been in negotiations with IEUA-QNT for some months.

Members there were exercising their authorised industrial action of wearing campaign paraphernalia when the college instituted a lock out. This meant that teachers at Langports were unable to attend work for 24 hours, in what was a stunning over-reaction by the College.

The negotiations have been difficult and protracted, with Langports refusing to offer any pay rise, and not moving on claims around improved preparation time for casuals, and an improved disputes procedure.

IEUA-QNT Secretary Terry Burke highlighted the hypocrisy of Langports, noting that the college has expressed that it supports and respects its teachers, while at the same time pursuing an aggressive industrial approach of lock outs and hard bargaining. “When asked how can you set out to financially injure your employees? Their response was: Because we can”.

The IEUA NSW/ACT stands alongside our colleagues in Queensland, and we have no doubt that many of you will as well. To contribute to the Union’s GoFundMe page, or to send a message of support, contact the IEUA-QNT (www. qieu.asn.au).

Kaplan Melbourne Not everything is doom and gloom, however. IEU Victoria Tasmania has concluded a successful negotiation with Kaplan for a new enterprise agreement. The new agreement

provides for 6% pay rises in each of two years, conversion for both sessionals and casuals, arbitration in dispute settling, facilities for IEU reps, a Head Teacher allowance, time allowances for exam course teachers and improved redundancy.

This is a great outcome, and credit to Chris Clarke and the rest of the team at IEU Victoria Tasmania. It is also a great illustration of how a growing, active and committed membership can achieve great outcomes. IEU membership at Kaplan Melbourne is around 90%, and they have fought hard for the gains they have made.

The Fair Work Act includes provisions for ‘good faith bargaining’, under which employees (or group of employees, such as teachers) can force their employer to commence bargaining, where it can be demonstrated that majority wish to do so. To find out how that might work at your college, contact your union.

Casual conversion In early May, the Fair Work Commission formally included a casual conversion clause in the modern award. As a result, long term casual employees can apply to convert their employment to a permanent role, and the employer only has limited grounds to refuse. To find out if you are eligible, contact your Union.

Shortage of STEM teachers at crisis point NT ¢ 46 034 p 53 778

QLD

16.8%

¢ 836 457 p 1 007 195

7 744

20.4%

extra students

WA

170 738

extra students

¢ 415 857 p 485 726

16.8% 69 869

extra students

SA

NSW

¢ 264 621 p 295 449

11.7% 30 828

extra students

¢ 1 213 630 p 1 388 890

VIC ¢ 935 129 p 1 114 954

19.2%

14.4% 175 260

extra students

179 825

extra students

650 000+ extra students nationwide

ACT TA S

Projected increases in school student population by state (all sectors)

¢ 83 385 p 85 727

¢ 2016 student levels

2.8%

p 2026 projected student levels

extra students

¢ 63 066 p 77 693

23.3% 14 627

extra students

2 342

Graphs courtesy of Peter Goss, School Education Program Director, Grattan Institute

Swelling secondary student numbers and a drought in mathematically qualified teachers sounds crisis bells, Professor Tim Brown, Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) Director said.

Australian secondary student numbers are expected to soar by over 650,000 annually as universities struggle to attract mathematics graduates to teaching and little data on mathematics preparation in teaching qualifications is available.

Entrenched and severe, Australia’s out-of-field mathematics teaching crisis has been building for over three decades and is likely to get much worse as student numbers soar. AMSI’s latest Occasional 4

newsmonth - www.ieu.asn.au

Paper confirms isolated solutions such as a graduate recruitment will not be enough to address this shortfall.

The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering welcomed the report on the crisis in maths teaching but warned that the problem of out-of-field teachers extends across the entire STEM subject range.

Academy President Professor Hugh Bradlow said the report highlighted a long term concern about maths being taught by teachers without suitable maths qualifications.

“But the issue goes much deeper,” he said. “We need to ensure high quality, discipline specific teacher training in all STEM subjects.

“The future prosperity of Australia will depend on embracing new technology to address critical national challenges.

“We will need a STEM skilled workforce to be able to take full advantage of the opportunities this will bring.

“The Academy has put forward six science and technology priorities for the federal government, where immediate action will result in significant benefit to Australia.”

The Academy’s recommendations on STEM education include: • phasing out, as soon as feasible, the out of-field teaching of STEM subjects in Years 7 to 10 • investing $20 million to enable all schools to have access to the Academy’s STELR (Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance) schools program, which has been demonstrated to increase the number of students undertaking senior STEM subjects via relevance-based, in-curriculum modules, and • preparing the workforce of the future for technology disruption by ensuring that school education encompasses both STEM and human disciplines and providing continuing education for those already in the workforce.

Brown said: “We have been sounding warning bells on this issue for decades with little action to stem the decline and now the impact of inaction is being felt in the classroom.

“This issue goes as far back as the 1980s and cannot be solved with quick fixes or band aid solutions.

“It is critical that we take a long term approach that focuses on strengthening teacher qualifications with rigorous subject knowledge benchmarks, implementing professional development for current mathematics teachers that do not meet the knowledge benchmarks, as well as measures to attract specialist graduates into

full time education and retrain our existing teacher workforce.

“Perhaps most importantly, we need transparency on the current status of Australia’s mathematically prepared workforce.

“Time is running out for action, the state and federal governments must prioritise the collection of subject specific teacher qualification data to track workforce standards and inform planning, as well as implementing professional development.

Without these, measures to address this long standing, unsolved problem are unlikely to succeed.

“We’d urge the federal government to make this issue a priority, with an education policy that includes: • retraining of existing teachers to lift mathematical level • measures to strengthen Australia’s mathematical workforce, and • delivery of initiatives to change attitudes to maths in school, such as AMSI’s national CHOOSEMATHS. AMSI Schools Teacher Outreach Manager and one of the paper’s authors, Michael O’Connor warns recruitment of new teachers would have little effect without measures to strengthen the current workforce.

“It is critical any solution takes a long term approach with focus on strengthening both new and existing teachers’ mathematical knowledge and confidence.”

Australian Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) results remain behind England and the USA. Both countries have introduced measures to tackle out-of-field teaching.

For more information go to Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute Occasional Paper 2: https://amsi.org.au/wp-content/ uploads/2019/05/amsi-occasional-paper-2. pdf

School refuses entry to Union organiser “These tactics have ironically caused increased interest in Union activity among staff at the school.”

In what is a first for the IEU, Al Noori Muslim School Greenacre has refused entry to an IEU officer seeking discussions with members.

After multiple reports from members, the IEU notified school management of the intention to visit the primary campus of Al Noori on 11 April.

School management refused entry via an anonymous email account identifiable only as ‘Human Resources’.

According to members, this is the same email used to communicate with staff regarding employment issues.

In order for the visit to proceed, the IEU sought to activate right-of-entry under

Casualisation – a challenge for teacher accreditation “Early career teachers, due to the casualisation of the workforce, are not accessing the assistance and care they need during their formative years.”

section 484 of the Fair Work Act, enabling the organiser to enter the premise for the purpose of holding discussions with one or more employees.

Notification was sent to the school with the appropriate notice period of 24 hours.

On the morning of 11 April, the IEU organiser was refused entry by an unknown man purporting to be security.

The organiser subsequently advised the school that the IEU would be forced to explore options of enforcement, which could include notifying the Fair Work Ombudsman for investigation, lodging with the Fair Work Commission, and/or lodging with the Federal Court, and that fines of up

to $6,600 apply to the school or individuals for each refusal of legitimate entry.

The IEU again sought entry to the meal or break area of the primary campus of Al Noori on 10 May. The school again said IEU entry was “non compliant” but ironically the “school will allow you entry as it is very transparent and has nothing to hide”.

The IEU organiser entered the primary campus of Al Noori on the morning of 10 May and was subsequently escorted by security personnel to the primary library.

The organiser was asked to remain in the library. Security then remained at or near the entry of the library in what appeared

With the increased casualisation of the workforce, tens of thousands of early career teachers are not able to secure a full time permanent teaching job in their field.

Academics estimate that students will spend anywhere up to 24% of their schooling career with a casual teacher. We have to make sure that casual teachers are supported and valued.

The instability of their employment, combined with the infrequency of being at one school or centre, the unlikelihood of working within their trained methodologies or stages, the inability to stay with one group of students for a significant period of time and their lack of a right to access release time or mentoring opportunities, is concerning not only for the early career teacher, but the profession as a whole.

The reason: our early career teachers, due to the casualisation of the workforce, are not accessing the assistance and care they need during their formative years of teaching practice.

The result: a profession with not only a low retention rate, but one that is waiting until a teacher is permanently employed (usually somewhere between four to eight years out of university) before they seriously invest in moulding and guiding them as teachers.

A lot can happen in that interim period to positively or negatively affect an early career teacher’s engagement as a professional working in education.

It’s time for all schools to reach out and assist all early career teachers in a timely, developmental fashion.

Accreditation workloads reduced by smart practice A common complaint about accreditation is that the workloads are too much for early career teachers, their mentors, supervisors and Teacher Accreditation Authorities (TAAs).

An overly prescriptive and document heavy accreditation process can bog down what’s meant to be a developmental process.

The IEU has developed a suite of three courses designed with supervisors, mentors and TAAs in mind. The focus of

to be a tactic of intimidation towards staff seeking to meet with the organiser.

Staff contacted the organiser electronically and were excited by the Union’s success getting into the school, but also distressed at the tactics of the employer.

These tactics have ironically caused increased interest in Union activity among staff at the school.

The IEU is in contact with members and all staff via email and will be returning to the school and enforcing the right to enter the meal or break area following the end of Ramadan and Eid festivities.

James Jenkins-Flint Organsier

the courses is how to use accreditation in a developmental fashion that benefits all involved in the process, but especially the teacher seeking Proficient. Supervising Accreditation at Proficient is delivered in three courses: • Understanding the process, the teacher and the supervisor • Best practice evidence and annotation • Best practice observations, reports and accreditation decisions.

The first course examines the working conditions, demographics and background experience of a teacher applying for Proficient accreditation and how these affect an accreditation process.

What does this mean?

Talk with all early career teachers about their practice. An accreditation process that relies on paperwork instead of conversations is a sign of a school that doesn’t know its teachers.

Identify their individual professional needs and ensure they have time to address them, including being a bit generous to casual teachers with release time to complete observations etc.

Remember a Standard is a Standard – there is no gain for a school to run accreditation with fancier, higher requirements except to add to the workload of the teacher, the supervisor, the principal and TAA. Let teachers teach.

Don’t bog them down with unnecessary paperwork (remember, NESA only require evidence and annotations for one Descriptor per Standard, and compelling a teacher to collect more than that is a breach of NESA policy).

Care for the profession’s future by advocating for early career teachers’ needs.

You can book into future IEU courses by following this link: https://www.ieu.asn.au/event-list or complete on-demand courses at www.theIEUZone.org.au Amy Cotton Professional Officer newsmonth - Vol 39 #4 2019

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What’s in store for early childhood services now?

The returned Coalition government sees early childhood education as childcare that is a productivity measure for parents, with little value being placed on early childhood education for the child. Therefore, children’s services are treated as separate from the education system.

The current government has no clear early childhood policy or objectives for their next term. This means the sector has no guarantee of universal access for four year olds beyond next year and no funding for universal access for three year olds, even though both NSW and Victoria have committed to access for three year olds.

This is despite overwhelming evidence of the benefits of high quality early childhood education for all children, especially the disadvantaged. Ongoing funding for our regulatory body ACEQUA has not been guaranteed. We have no cohesive workforce strategy to ensure early childhood teachers remain in the sector.

concerns about the current National Quality Standards Assessment and Ratings process (A&R).

In response to the issues raised by members, IEU wrote to Tracy Mackey (Executive Director, Early Childhood Education at the Early Childhood Education Directorate), Rhonda Livingstone (National Education Leader and General Manager, Educational Leadership at ACECQA), Sarah Mitchell MP (NSW Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning) and Kate Washington MP (NSW Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) seeking discussion on how to resolve the issues.

At the time of publication, we have received a response from ACEQUA thanking us for raising the concerns and encouraging us to ensure that members raise their concerns with ACEQUA and DEC. As many of you would be aware there is currently a review of the NQF underway. We encourage all members to participate in the review process and ensure that you raise your issues through this process or directly with DEC or ACECQA. The IEU will be making a formal submission to the review through our Federal office. To do the review: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/2019-nqf-review

IEU lobbying on Assessment and Ratings problems IEU was contacted by more than 20 individual early childhood services and a group of 40 regional services with

ERO and Work Value Case before the FWC The Fair Work Commission will continue to hear evidence on the need to address pay equity for early childhood

Verena Heron Industrial Officer

teachers during June and July. IEU present evidence from experts and practicing early childhood teachers during June with employers giving their evidence in July. IEU is arguing both pay equity and work value cases, that changes in how early childhood teachers work should be recognised in the pay rates. The case will conclude in September with a decision pending.

Regular updates will be posted on IEU’s Facebook page.

Uniting Care agreement IEU is negotiating a new Uniting Care agreement for all Uniting Care services under their umbrella. The Union is seeking improved wages, improved non contact time and additional release time for the educational leader.

Big Fat Smile We have just concluded negotiations for a new agreement for Big Fat Smile services. Members will now determine whether to accept management’s offer.

Agreements IEU is negotiating with a number of services for new agreements. Many of these services are negotiating their third or fourth agreement.

If you are interested in negotiating an agreement for your salaries and conditions, contact your organiser.

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newsmonth - www.ieu.asn.au

Getting down to business Members in the Lismore area can now call on the services of a new IEU organiser. Richard Ryan replaces the long serving Sandra White, who retired at Christmas.

Richard comes with 20 years’ experience as a teacher at St Francis Xavier Ballina, where he taught PE to all ages for the last six years.

Richard is no stranger to new challenges, having started teaching later in life after a career as a builder.

“The body was breaking down a bit, I was spending every Friday at the chiropractor’s, so it was time to move on.

Teaching had always been my plan B. “I had friends and family who were teachers and I took a lot of interest in my daughter’s education, helping out.”

Following four years of study at Southern Cross University, Lismore, Richard started out with a Year 2 class.

‘It was all fresh and very exciting.”

Transitioning from being a builder to a teacher wasn’t the only challenge Richard was prepared to take on. The CSO needed an Indonesian teacher and he learnt it from scratch, travelling twice to Denpasar to attend language

school, so he could teach it to the children.

When the challenge of the IEU officer role came up he didn’t hesitate.

“It’s a role I’ve admired for a long time and I thought I could do something with it. I was brought up in a union family and had always been a member.”

Richard was the Union Rep at his school for a few years and then President of the North Coast Branch, attending IEU Council for about six years.

I've always been a union man, and worked in a number of industries.

“I guess I’ve tempered my approach to a laid back style because of that.”

Richard said teachers need the Union to have their back and he plans to encourage young people to join and be aware of the benefits and the history of unionism.

“The core business of teachers and support staff is the core business of the Union,” he said.

Sue Osborne Journalist

Protocols for teacher’s aides ‘acting up’ in ASPECT schools In 2004 a proposal was agreed between the IEU and Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT) which acknowledged that from time to time ASPECT has problems with the availability and engagement of casual teachers on short notice.

The proposal recognised that, due to unique circumstances and the special needs of its students, an aide ‘acting up’ to continue with the prepared day plan in the event a casual teacher could not be found was a less disruptive option than a re-organisation of classes that would interrupt the consistency and routine essential to the children’s behavioural needs.

A set of protocols were embedded within this proposal that ensured fair processes and remuneration for aides ‘acting up’ under such circumstances.

The IEU recently met with ASPECT to address the Union’s concerns about the issue of replacing teachers absent from work with teacher’s aides.

It has come to the IEU’s attention that these protocols have not been consistently applied and the Union has met with ASPECT to come to an agreement which addresses this concern. Most improvements sought by the Union have been incorporated. ASPECT will send the resulting policy document to schools this week to clarify the process.

The higher duties allowance will apply on any whole day a teacher’s aide is required to replace a teacher for a day or more. Aides therefore cannot be requested to act up for part of a day and in the event a teacher is not present for part of a day aides may supervise a small group of students as per the multi-enterprise agreement.

“The acting up allowance will not be used as a less expensive option to the employment of a teacher.”

The appointment will be made and confirmed in writing by the coordinator/principal. The higher duties allowance will not apply unless the appointment has been made in writing prior to commencement of duties (pre-approved).

A teacher’s aide may refuse the request to take on higher duties.

The role of the teacher’s aide if acting up is to continue with the prepared day plan while supervising students.

There is no expectation of programming or creating lesson plans.

It is agreed that a teacher’s aide may be required to work additional hours while ‘acting up’, for example preparation time before class or bus duty. This additional time will be remunerated at the casual rate plus the higher duties allowance. The Union sought this provision to address members’ concerns.

Another aide will be assigned to the class to assist the aide acting up. The regular class aide will be the acting up aide (unless the request to do so is refused).

An ASPECT teacher will be on site and available for the delivery of curriculum, if required. The employment of a qualified casual teacher is the preferred option and this agreement is not to impact on the employment of teachers. The acting up allowance will not be used as a less expensive option to the employment of a teacher.

The acting up pay rate is $9.79 per hour and applied to ‘agreed hours’ worked ie if an aide is required to prepare class beforehand or attend to bus duty, the aide will be paid for this time. The rate will be renewed annually and indexed to CPI. An indexation mechanism was specifically sought by the Union however, CPI, while adequate, was not our preferred position.

Members should contact their Union organiser on 8202 8900 if they have any concerns regarding the implementation of this policy at their school.

STRONGER TOGETHER - JOIN ONLINE https://www.ieu.asn.au/join-page newsmonth - Vol 39 #4 2019

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St Rose - a professional model Prioritising wellbeing, with limits on meeting time and a collaborative approach, results in a happy and successful school, St Rose Catholic School Collaroy Plateau Principal Josie Vescio said.

It was appropriate that Newsmonth spoke with IEU members Vescio, Laura Dickson and Monique Santarosa during Wellbeing Week, when the school has no staff meetings and no home learning for students.

Vescio (pictured above centre), an IEU member since 1991 and the school’s principal since 2006, said it was important for school leaders to be mindful of staff workloads.

“It’s important leadership ask staff about their perspective first when wanting them to engage in professional learning,” she said.

The school’s practice is “if you can read it, we don’t have to tell you about it”.

“I respect my staff as professionals and if they can read information in shared documents then we don’t need a face to face meeting.

“We have one to three key input sessions a term on areas we are focusing on.

“Meetings are limited to 45 minutes. If you can’t say what you’ve got to say in 45 minutes, there’s a danger that staff will become overloaded with content.

“We surveyed staff to see when they would most prefer to meet. I trust teachers are working on their professional learning “ Vescio said she used the enterprise agreement as a yardstick when coming up with her meeting plan.

Second year out Year 3 teacher Santarosa (pictured bottom right) said the collaborative approach to teaching at St Rose is living up to the ideals she brought with her when graduated from Australian Catholic University.

“If you can read it, we don’t have to tell you about it . . . I respect my staff as professionals.”

“The leadership team asks what works for us. We get to provide feedback on what we are doing, rather than being inundated with information without actually acting on it.”

IEU Rep Dayle Costello (pictured top right) is a part of this collaborative approach, providing feedback to Vescio on the implementation of programs and keeping staff up to

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date on their rights and responsibilities. Vescio said there are no distinctions between support staff, teachers and leadership at the school, with a distributive leadership style allowing everyone to have a say.

This allows the school to be open to new initiatives such as the inclusion of support staff in the duty roster.

Dickson, REC and Kindergarten teacher (pictured top centre), said extra programs, such as the Extending Maths Understanding (EMU) program are supported by executive members of staff.

“It’s very unusual to see a member of our executive sitting at a desk doing paperwork. They see it as their role to support student learning and spend as much time as possible in the classroom,” Vescio said.

In order to relieve teachers of the burden of compliance, Vescio acts as the gauge so staff don’t have to.

“Rather than staff having to worry about it, I do, which frees them up to explore new teaching experiences for students.

“Across the whole school there is a collective responsibility for student learning. If staff feel valued, they will put their all in.’

Sue Osborne Journalist

Standards-Based Pathway Closing date for submissions: Friday, 6 September 2019 Closing date for requests for deferrals and withdrawals: 4pm Friday, 10 May 2019 The IEU is committed to assisting every eligible member to achieve Experienced Teacher accreditation.

During the last 12 years the Union has been highly successful in assisting hundreds of members achieve Experienced Teacher and receive a Band 3 salary.

We are here to assist you to understand the process, to prepare evidence and documentation, and we provide group and individual workshops.

Evidence collection period Tuesday, 1 May 2018 to Friday, 6 September 2019.

This process requires significant support during the collection period.

It is important to start this process as soon as possible as many members have been working on their portfolio since Term 2, 2018.

For assistance with Experienced Teacher accreditation contact Elizabeth Finlay: elizabeth@ieu.asn.au Eligibility The IEU assists members with their applications on the understanding that they are continuing members or recently employed at an independent school.

The Union reserves its right not to assist those who join specifically to access this service and who have been employed at the college for a considerable time without acquiring Union membership.

Celebrate NAIDOC week This year’s NAIDOC week (7-14 July) has the theme Voice, Treaty, Truth.

This theme, of course, references the Uluru Statement from the Heart that outlines the path forward for recognising Indigenous Australians in the nation’s constitution, endorsed with a standing ovation by a gathering of 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders on 26 May 2017, following a four day First Nations National Constitutional Convention held at Uluru.

Ken Wyatt, a Noongar man from South West WA, has now been sworn in as the first Aboriginal person to take on the Indigenous Affairs portfolio in Cabinet.

His effectiveness will be measured by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by his ability to enact the goals of the Uluru Statement.

As a side note, did you know that you can obtain the flags of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations from your local MP? Below is taken from Anthony Albanese, the newly elected Federal Labor leader’s web page: Our flags and symbols help tell the story of who we are as Australians If you are planning to travel overseas and represent Australia, or you are a student visiting another country on exchange, my office staff can organise a flag and a travel pack to take with you. This pack includes information on our symbols and flags, and music and words to the National Anthem.

Local non profit community groups can also apply for a flag through my office.

The flags available include the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

If your local MP does not offer the same service, ask them ‘why’?

Marilyn Jervis Organiser

Vale

Robert James Lee Hawke AC 1929 – 2019 ACTU President 1969–1980 Prime Minister of Australia 1983-1991 See www.ieu.asn.au

Review of ACT Education Act The IEU have been involved in a consultation process around proposed amendments to the Education Act to be tabled in the ACT Legislative Assembly in August.

A consultation period for a review of the Act closed on 7 June, and this was one of the key submissions made by the IEUA NSW/ACT Branch.

Discussion papers included amendments to Principles of The Education Act, the Registration of Boarding Schools and Reporting of Suspensions and Exclusions.

Of particular importance to the Union is the inclusion and recognition of early childhood education in the Act.

Our recommendation is that the proposed amendments to the principles need to go further and be more explicit in recognising the status and importance of early childhood education and teachers.

This includes the need for a clear definition of the child within the Act .

Also, more emphasis on the welfare of education employees as well as students was required in the Act, the IEU submission suggested.

Other issues raised by the IEU include the registration of boarding facilities at non government schools as currently boarding schools adhere to the Australian Boarding Schools Association standard

which is a national standard; it is robust but it is self monitored.

The proposed wording is cumbersome and a recommendation would be that the regulations stipulate and honour a process which would support the schools demonstrating that they’re doing the right thing for boarders and not imposing further regulation.

The changes to the policies around school suspension and exclusion are a reaction to the Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The ACT non government sector already report directly to the Education Minister. In reporting suspensions it’s

suggested that they go to to the ACT Education Directorate.

The current practice for all government and non government schools is to their employers respectively.

The purpose data in this form is as a resourcing mechanism to support areas of greatest need.

To suggest that non government schools have to report to the Directorate would be a different standard. Under the current MOU any suspensions are reported, aggregated and every six months that information is provided to the Minister The Union supports the continuation of the current practice .

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Celebrating International Support Staff Day School support staff are making a difference, and school communities throughout NSW and the ACT showed their appreciation on 16 May for International Support Staff Day. Schools celebrated and thanked their support staff with lavish morning teas, flowers and chocolates. Having teachers, principals and students recognise our contributions certainly makes a difference and is appreciated.

The IEU continues to fight for support staff to have security of employment, and fair wage and conditions. Many support staff officers are women and working women are more likely to have insecure hours, be paid less and retire with 47% less superannuation than men.

The Change the Rules campaign has not stopped with the results of the federal election. If anything, it is more pressing!

We need to put fairness back into all forms of employment.

We need to put up a fight for our students now and into the future, for they are and will be the most affected. Please support Change The Rules.

Preparations are underway for the Support Staff Conference on 13 September 2019.

The conference, My Values - My Work, will explore how our core personal values direct the type of work we do, the type of organisations we work for and how we can express those values in our work.

Full conference details and registration information will be available during Term 2 at www.ieu.asn.au.

Carolyn Collins IEU Vice President, Support Staff

Support staff – become a Union Rep “Having a different perspective at chapter meetings would be great.”

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School secretary Patricia Toohey has happily fulfilled the role of IEU Rep for more than 10 years.

“I was really surprised when I first started going to chapter meetings to find out I was the only Rep who was from support staff,” Tricia said.

“I have never had a problem representing teachers or support staff at meetings. You get loads of support from your organiser.”

Tricia works as secretary and finance officer, at St Mary’s Primary School

Batlow, three days a week and at McCauley Catholic Central School as a primary administrator two days a week.

She is the Rep at St Marys.

“I just believe the average Joe needs a union behind them,” Tricia said.

“I tell new staff that if it wasn’t for the union, men would be earning more than women, and there wouldn’t be maternity pay or parental leave and that if we don’t keep up the numbers and strength, we’ll lose some of those things.”

Tricia encourages fellow support staff to put their hands up to be an IEU Rep. “I guess because teachers make up the majority of the school, support staff assume that a teacher should be the Rep. “But there’s no reason why they can’t do it and having a different perspective at chapter meetings would be great.

IEUA NSW/ACT 2019 SUPPORT STAFF CONFERENCE Friday, 13 September Mercure Sydney

VIA EVENTBRITE

https://ieusupportstaff2019.eventbrite.com.au For further information contact your IEU organiser or email carolyn@ieu.asn.au newsmonth - Vol 39 #4 2019

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IEU help for earthquake ravaged Nepalese school In April of this year I made my way to the remote village of Chisapani in the Gorkha region of the Himalayas.

The village of Chisapani was totally destroyed in the April 2015 earthquake that killed 9000 Nepalis and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, temples, schools etc.

The fact that Chisapani was just a four hour walk from the epicentre of the 2015 earthquake meant that not a single home was spared, nor was the small primary school named Shree Shimbhu.

IEU generously donated $1000 to help rebuild the Shree Shimbhu school. My trip

to the village was to see how the building of the new school was progressing.

Reaching Chisapani was a challenge due to its remote location. I hired a four-wheel drive that was intended to get me to the end of a road from which I would trek for another six hours.

At the end of the road, my driver and guide decided that we might make it to Chisapani by following some hill paths and sections of a new road being built.

Many hours later when we reached Chisapani we were told that ours was the first vehicle to ever reach the village. I was also told that the last time a ‘foreigner’

Teachers are more depressed and anxious than the average Australian

“When we reached Chisapani we were told that ours was the first vehicle to ever reach the village . . the last time a ‘foreigner’ visited was over 30 years ago.”

visited the village was over 30 years ago.

Yes, the village is definitely remote!

Because of its remoteness Chisapani never benefits from western trekkers who make their way through the more well trodden regions, eg Everest, Annapurna, Manaslu, Dauligiri, etc.

Its remoteness made the IEU’s $1000 donation especially important. The new six room school is now 95% complete, only a clean up and the painting remains to be done. Chisipani now has a primary school that will be used for many decades to come.

The village people held a special program while I was there to thank the IEU and the

Over half of Australian teachers suffer from anxiety and nearly one-fifth are depressed. These are the findings of our soon-to-be-published study assessing teachers’ wellbeing.

We examined the health and wellbeing of 166 Australian school teachers, aged 22-65, in an anonymous survey.

Respondents revealed their work environment, workload and finances to be the most significant sources of stress.

Around 18% of respondents had symptoms that met the criteria for moderate to severe depression. Nearly 62% met criteria for moderate to severe anxiety while nearly 20% (19.75%) had severe anxiety. And 56% met criteria for medium to high severity of somatic symptoms. This is when the symptoms are physical and can include pain, nausea, dizziness and fainting.

Alarmingly, 17% screened positive for having probable alcohol abuse or dependence. These rates are higher than the national averages. Around 10% of Australians experience depression over their lifetime, 13% experience anxiety, 5% are diagnosed with substance use disorders, and 7% are diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder.

The findings are concerning for a number of reasons, including that teachers are required to foster the emotional well-being of students. The Australian Curriculum requires teachers to address students’ personal and social capabilities. This includes teaching students to recognise and identify their own emotions, teaching emotional awareness, and relationship exploration and understanding.

But if a teacher’s mental health is affected, this may undermine their capacity to promote well-being in students.

Why are teachers so stressed?

One-quarter of Australians report they suffer stress.

Previous surveys show sales support workers suffer the highest stress levels out of all occupations. Other professions experiencing high stress include hospitality, legal, social, health and welfare support workers.

But our research adds school teachers to the mix. This is supported by other studies indicating teachers are more susceptible to work related stress, burnout and general psychological distress when compared to other occupations.

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other Australians who donated money for the rebuild. We were able to donate a total of $20,000, far beyond our original goal of $13,000.

I want to extend my special thanks to IEU Secretary John Quessy for his willingness to assist in making the new primary school a reality in what is a very poor region of Nepal.

Michael Davis IEU member - retired

Along with assessing respondents on several measures of wellbeing, our study asked them to identify the most stressful thing in their lives.

Chronic stress has many negative consequences, including putting sufferers at risk of long-term mental health disorders.

Several features may contribute to a stressful teaching environment. Studies have pointed toa lack of educational resources, difficulties with staff and parents, work overload, time pressure and behavioural challenges with students as contributing to teacher stress and burnout. This could contribute to, or exacerbate, existing mental health issues.

Teachers may also be drinking as a form of stress relief. Other countries have reported alcohol use to be two to three times higher in teachers than in the general population.

Research on work related stress suggests high levels of work effort must be matched with high levels of rewards.

According to this model, an imbalance between effort and reward leads to increased emotional reactions and risk of mental health problems.

Rewards can be financial, the chance for regular professional development, job security, as well as praise, approval and esteem.

Teachers could be experiencing mental distress and its associated health implications if the demands of their job seem to exceed the rewards.

We know employees perform better when they have more control over their daily work schedules, flexibility and access to support when they need it.

We might see improvements in teachers’ coping and performance abilities if they are offered wellbeing programs, whether that be as professional development, access to paid gym memberships, or childcare support.

Attending to the mental health of teachers should be paramount. They are at the forefront of the education system and vital to supporting student success.

This story originally appeared in The Conversation https:// bit.ly/2QSJDFm Peta Stapleton Associate Professor in Psychology, Bond University

Flipping the system for Australian teachers:

IEU’s first Book Club

One does not need to look far to find hotly contested debates about education, schools and teachers. These debates are both global and local in context; there is no doubt that education will continue to be a popular football for politicians, bureaucrats, policy makers and organisations.

These arguments will extend far beyond discussions of demountables and air conditioning; topics such as teacher registration, accountability, standards for entry into the profession, the role of initial teacher education providers and the need for ongoing, registered professional development, especially in rural and remote areas, are all central to discussions about education in Australia today.

However, a common and for the most part, valid criticism about these discussions is that they ignore the voices of

those education workers who have the most to contribute: teachers themselves.

For whatever reason, and whether it’s a deliberate or accidental omission, teachers are often marginalised or ignored entirely in these debates.

Even the elected representatives of the teaching profession, like the Australian Education Union and the Independent Education Union, are often overlooked.

For example, the current Board of Directors from AITSL has no requirement to appoint representatives from the teaching unions that collectively advocate for more than 200,000 teachers across Australia.

Perhaps not surprisingly, teachers are seeking new ways of promoting their voices to fill these gaps. The ‘Flip the System’ movement is one such example, and it is one that is quickly

gaining interest in Australia. In 2018, ‘Flip the System Australia: What Matters in Education’ was published, building on a growing international series. Edited by Deborah Netolicky, Jon Andrews and Cameron Paterson, this volume draws together a range of Australian and international voices to critically examine narratives of ‘failing’ schools and teachers, as well as the increased privatisation and de-professionalisation of teachers within the education system.

Well known Australian education academics, like Anna Hogan and Bob Lingard are joined by internationally respected academics such as Pasi Sahlberg. In addition, there are the voices of practicing teachers, like Yasodai Salvakumaran and Kelly Cheung.

On Wednesday, 10 April, more than 40 teachers got together via Adobe Connect to discuss the book, and what it meant for them in their practice.

The conversation was led by Cameron Paterson, one of the instigators and editors of Flip the System Australia. Cameron spoke eloquently about his determination to rebuild the professional standing of teachers, and how teachers and teacher unions have a significant role to play in this.

Cameron was joined by Steven Kolber, a teacher from Melbourne and the host of the #edureading Twitter group, who discussed how he had tried to implement some of the ideas from Flip the System in his school already.

This is the first of a series of planned book clubs. Next term, the club will be reading Teacher by Gabbie Stroud. There will be two events: an interview with Gabbie herself, and then a discussion later in the term between teachers about the themes raised in the book.

All members are welcome to join the club. Register via the PD page, or follow the conversation on Twitter: #ieureading or on our Facebook community group: https://www. facebook.com/groups/ieucommunity/ Keith Heggart Organiser

Protect yourself in a storm Exclusive offer for IEU members High quality Peros ‘Hurricane’ umbrellas reduced to $10 Ask your organiser for details

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Labour bites

Defending the right of workers to express religious beliefs In the wake of Israel Folau’s sacking by Rugby Australia, Darren Greenfield, State Secretary of the NSW Branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU) said “I’ve got a personal view on it. We haven’t discussed it internally [in the union] but “I don’t think you should be sacked for putting your point of view across.

That’s his point of view.”

Former senior ACTU official Tim Lyons said employers should not police the private views of workers. “I find what Folau said pretty repugnant, but there is an important principle here about employers regulating private conduct which I could easily see being used against union activists,” he said.

“I think the only circumstances under which it would be appropriate is if what was said gave rise to a genuine health, safety and wellbeing issue for other employees.”

Josh Bornstein, national head of employment law at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, said while he “thoroughly disagreed” with Folau’s views which “are repugnant to most people”, he had a right to them and to his religious affiliation.

“My concern is that employers are using employment contracts to extend the reach of their control over their employees well beyond the workplace in ways that undermine human rights, democratic rights, political debate and in Israel Folau’s case, undermine religious affiliation,” he said.

(Source: SMH)

Trade union MPs A majority of the MPs elected to the Finnish Parliament on April 14 belong to a union.

Rank and file union members are once again well represented among the 200 seats. The previous parliament boasted 120 union members.

Not all unions reveal which of the politicians are their members. Usually the unions offer their members the possibility to present themselves in the union media, but not all union members avail of this opportunity.

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There is no ‘trade union part’ in Finland and union members come from the whole political spectrum, However, many of the leftist MPs have been active in their unions.

Twenty-one were won by members of the trade union for the Public and Welfare Sectors meaning that one in 10 MPs are members of that union. The Union of Health and Social Care Professionals claim 10 members, the Trade Union of Education in Finland may have as many as 30 but the Union does not list how many MPs are members.

Other unions represented include the Industrial Union, Trade Union Pro, Service Union United, Social Science Professionals and the Association of Finnish Lawyers. The six medical doctors, two priests and several journalists elected to Parliament are probably members of their own unions, as union density within these sectors tends to be very high. (Source: Trade Union News Finland)

Contractor v employee the Google way Google works hard to keep the 121,000 contractors it employs separate from its permanent employees. Even so, it’s still risking a major labor lawsuit in Google’s home state of California.

Google employs about 102,000 full time employees worldwide compared with its 121,000 contractors, according to a recent New York Times report. These workers are typically employed through a temp service or outsourcing company, meaning that Google does not employ them directly.

But the ‘contractors’ are fighting back and according to several employment lawyers, the search giant is still at risk of a huge lawsuit in which the contractors could claim they should properly have been classified as employees, at least within California.

In a watershed case last year, the California Supreme Court laid out a three-pronged ‘ABC’ test for determining whether someone working as a contractor is actually an employee instead. In this test, to be legally classified as a contractor, a worker must be outside the employer’s control, perform work that is outside of the employer’s usual business, and have a business or profession where that worker performs similar tasks for other clients. For the worker to legally be defined as a contractor, all three must be true, and the burden of proof rests with the company.

Whether Google could meet the outside usual business prong of the ABC test seems unclear. But since contractors make up well over half of Google’s workforce, it could be tough to sell a judge on the idea that all these people are doing work outside of Google’s usual activities. From the outside, it also looks unlikely that Google could pass the part of the ABC test that requires contractors to have a separate business of their own with other clients for whom they do similar work.

(Source: Inc) Compiled by

John Quessy Secretary

Second time around

Twenty years ago, I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in an international teaching exchange. At the time I was living in Yellowknife, the capital of the northwest territories (think of a very cold version of Alice Springs), where I had my first job as a high school science teacher.

Our intrepid exchange partner was from Melbourne and was keen to venture to the remote corner of Canada’s subArctic. And so, with my wife Nancy, and our two year old toddler Ella, we left the comforts of our regular life and routines to embark upon what proved to be an adventure of a lifetime.

A couple of years ago Nancy and I – now at the other end of our professional and domestic child raising years – began to muse about the prospects of returning to the land of down under for another go – but, this time with our Aussie-conceived 19 year old son, William and Ella will join us for a visit in May once uni is over.

We live in Edmonton, which is the provincial capital of Alberta – home to our beautiful Rocky Mountains, where many an Aussie on their gap year has found gainful employment on skis and in the service industry. At home, I teach at Strathcona High School, which is a public school with approximately 1500 students.

More students at Strathcona take the university credit Advanced Placement Program than any other school in Canada. Apart from its strong academics, it is also known for tremendous arts and sports programs.

We are certainly older and wiser since our first exchange. Having done this before we feel better able to manage the trials and tribulations of packing up our lives for the year (oh, the decluttering!), and embracing the challenge of living and working overseas for a year.

This, despite constantly battling a level of exhaustion that I haven’t experienced since – apart from my first exchange – my first year as a teacher. As the principal reminded me yesterday, not only is there the challenge of starting a new job and getting to know a batch of new students and colleagues, but there is the added challenge of doing it in a different country – in sweltering humid conditions, I might add. Although we have apparently

missed the coldest winter in 40 years (the average temperature last month was -20 degrees). But like the Melbourne exchange – these ephemeral inconveniences will only vaguely register later, foregrounded instead by the incredible, life changing experiences that we have already had.

For instance, last Saturday morning Nancy and I decided to camp in the Blue Mountains for the weekend. I have to say, heading down the road to the nearest train station hand-in-hand with our backpacks on made us feel like we were 20 years old again. And, then there is our weekly crewing on racing boats at the local sailing club. Catching glimpses of the iconic Harbour Bridge as you pass by it while learning a completely different skill set is truly exhilarating.

And then there is the school. I had a pretty good sense that Domremy College would be a special place from what my exchange partner Rebecca Morrice conveyed to me prior to arriving about the terrific students and staff who I am proud to call my colleagues.

Domremy is a truly special place to work. I must admit to choking back my emotion during one of the first assemblies when the girls were practising hymns for the upcoming liturgical celebration. I have never before witnessed an assembly where a whole student body completely lose themselves through the power of music.

And then there was the swimming carnival a couple of weeks ago.

To watch 600 students effusively cheer on their classmates and teachers was fantastic. As I discovered, 50 metres in the pool is a long way. I came home that day and told Nancy that in my 25 plus years as a teacher, the carnival had to be one of most fun school activities I have had the pleasure of participating in. These are just two examples that exemplify the incredible spirit and sense of pride that Domremy nurtures – a character that spills over into the classroom and makes me honoured to call it my school for the year. To think we just booked tickets to Cairns for the upcoming holidays. As they say, time flies when you are having fun!

Andrew Hodgkins on exchange from Edmonton Alberta to Domremy College Fivedock.

Workload issues hot topic Chris Wilkinson President

Since attending several sub branch meetings, it is apparent that workload issues are topping the conversation, followed by the continued demands of data collection of every type. Teaching time is becoming a real problem when these extra demands are placed on teachers.

For teachers of VET, surveys and more surveys and then surveying the results and commenting on why the students have responded the way they did, are an issue.

We would all embrace the chance to just teach without all the unnecessary extras imposed on teaching staff.

I am sure everyone has recovered from the recent NAPLAN test – some went smoothly while others suffered through the few days.

Teachers are also stressed during this process, hoping that it goes without any hiccups.

Congratulations to all of our wonderful support staff members who recently celebrated Support Staff Day. These dedicated people dealing with students with special needs, assisting with preparation of resources, personal needs of students and just being there on a daily basis makes life much brighter. Thank you for all that you do by supporting teaching staff and students.

It is that time of year again when exams are being held and reports written. Parent teacher nights, student and parent interviews and subject selection and information nights are on the calendar. Good luck with all these extras asked of you.

Only two weeks until the end of term, hang in there, keep smiling, stay positive and we will be rewarded with a well earned two week break. Hard to believe that half of 2019 is behind us.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to working with and for you.

A proliferation of testing and assessment regimes

The Term 2 Principals Sub Branch meeting (pictured) was held at the Union’s Parramatta office on 4 May, with a focus on issues such as the increasing compliance demands on principals and staff and associated workload and wellbeing concerns.

Specific issues raised by principal members included the proliferation of testing and assessment regimes and the pressures associated with the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on students with disabilities or other needs.

A warm welcome to Principals Sub Branch was extended to Wollongong Diocese secondary Principal Wayne Marshall at his first meeting, with appreciation being expressed to Don Spencer for his many years of service as IEU Principals Rep in the Wollongong Diocese.

Further 2019 Principals Sub Branch meetings will be held on 3 August and 2 November at the IEU’s Parramatta office.

Regional IEU Principals Meetings at Newcastle and Burwood Appreciation is expressed to the IEU Newcastle office and to Principals Sub Branch President Sidonie Coffey for hosting a breakfast meeting for principals in Newcastle on 17 May. Discussion included issues for the next principals’ EA, compliance requirements and associated workload concerns, and a range of specific Maitland-Newcastle Diocese matters in relation to the Work Practices Agreement and employment and staffing arrangements.

At Burwood on 21 May, Sydney Inner West region principals joined for breakfast with IEU officers Gloria Taylor, Pam Smith and Donna Widdison to discuss current issues and to explore options for the next principals’ EA. The meeting noted recent developments in the Sydney Archdiocese in relation to staffing for students with special needs and possible proposals for changes to contract renewal arrangements for leadership roles.

Thank you to IEU Principals Sub Branch member Des Fox for organising the Inner West breakfast meeting and for his leadership role with Sydney Archdiocese IEU principal members. The IEU looks forward to opportunities to meet with principals in the other SCS regions and/or collectively with principals in the Archdiocese.

Association of Catholic School Principals Conference The IEU provided a ‘welcome letter’ to principals attending the Association of Catholic School Principals Conference held in Sydney from 22 to 24 May, with a focus on the valuable role of principals in the Union and the services and support available to principal members. Sincere thanks to those IEU principal members who assisted with the distribution of this Union material.

Pam Smith IEU Principals Organiser

Above and left Newcastle, below Coffs Harbour

Broken rules for women still must be challenged Although the federal election has been and gone, with a disappointing result for many IEU members, the broken rules which affect women in the workplace still remain.

The gender pay gap and superannuation gap are still significant and women continue to face difficulties in accessing flexible work arrangements to balance their work and carer responsibilities.

Insecure temporary or casual roles prevent many women from achieving their career or financial goals, as well as being a source of significant personal and professional anxiety.

Unfortunately, discrimination and harassment continue to occur in workplaces and in the community, while family and domestic violence are at unacceptable levels in Australian society.

Within this context, IEU members are stepping up to assert their rights to fair, safe, inclusive and respectful workplaces where they can balance work and family and develop their careers. They also continue to seek an industrial relation system which protects and enhances the rights of workers and their unions.

Over 100 IEU women members gathered in Newcastle on 21 May to hear guest speaker Natasha Beyersdorf, a local television newsreader, speaker about her journey as the mother of a

son with significant learning challenges and of the vital importance of the partnership between parents and school staff to achieve the best possible outcomes for students with special needs. Appreciation is expressed to the IEU Newcastle office and Hunter Valley Sub Branch members for their efforts in organising this successful gathering.

In Coffs Harbour on 31 May, Mid North Coast IEU women members joined together for an IEU forum and dinner organised by John Paul College member Pamela Adams in conjunction with colleagues. The guest speaker was Coffs Harbour solicitor Heather McKinnon who is a family law specialist, a community activist and a great supporter of the wellbeing agenda of the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern.

Other forthcoming regional IEU women›s events include Armidale in Term 3 and a western Sydney forum at Holy Family Primary School at Emerton on 23 October.

The IEU looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with its members to ‹change the rules for working women› and to protect and enhance their interests in the workplace and beyond.

Pam Smith Convenor IEU Women and Equity Committee

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Marist College Kogarah teacher Stuart Lemos receives his 30 year badge with Principal John Riordan, who received his badge last year.

Peter Condon of Holy Family Primary School Kelso is presented with his 30 year IEU membership badge.

Julie Doolan from Trinity Murrumburrah receives her 30 year badge; to her left is Annette Donnelly who has been a member for 40 years.

IEU Organiser David Towson presents Pina Michelina Fortuna receives her 30 year IEU Gagliano, of Mary Mackillop Catholic College membership badge from IEU Rep Victor Aguilera Wakeley, with her 30 year IEU membership badge. at Holy Spirit Primary Carnes Hill.

IEU Organiser Lee Cunningham presents Victoria McGahey, of Mater Maria Catholic College in Warriewood, with her 30 year membership badge.

Gore's path to zero carbon Al Gore is a well known name around the world, renewable sources of energy than use coal or other especially in environmental circles. I was fortunate fossil fuels. enough to attend, on behalf of the Union’s In fact, Gore argued, this is already happening. Germany Environment Committee, a session with Gore at the has days when they use only green energy. Other countries Westin Hotel in Sydney recently. around the world are embracing these new forms of The session, A Path to Zero Carbon, was hosted by technology on a domestic and industrial level. superannuation fund HESTA, so there was a focus on Some of the fastest growing occupations in the US are long term sustainable investment and growth. solar and wind power technicians. And, by virtue of its Gore’s argument was persuasive and carefully location and climate, Australia is in a fantastic position constructed. He shared a range of statistics and news to capitalise on this trend – especially with solar energy. events from around the world, highlighting the growing Gore argued that it doesn’t make sense not to invest in dangers of climate change. renewable energy.

This ranged from extreme The final session was Q and A. weather events in places like India There were some thought provoking and Iran, but also Australia, to questions from audience members. increasing temperatures and the In particular, Gore was critical of economic costs of these. the decision to develop the Adani He connected the ‘rain bombs’ mine, and also questioned the utility that appear to be becoming more of having so much of the media in common with the increasing severity Australia and the US dominated by “Gore argued that we one owner. and duration of droughts. It was pretty confronting stuff – and the need to move past a He suggested that the solution might mood in the room was sombre. social media – but he was quick desire for unfettered include However, Gore said these dangers to point out that some platforms, such growth in economic as Facebook, haven’t lived up to their and challenges provide us with opportunities, and they are the kinds terms, and instead promise. of opportunities that super funds Al Gore finished on a hopeful note, embrace sustainable reminding may well be interested in. everyone that hope is a form growth.”

Gore argued that we need to move of renewable energy! past a desire for unfettered growth in economic terms, and instead embrace sustainable growth. Keith Heggart Organiser And in this area, he suggests, there are significant (on behalf of the IEU Environmental Committee) opportunities. It is now more cost effective to establish 16

newsmonth - www.ieu.asn.au

ACTU McManus statement The Morrison Government’s narrow reelection means it has no mandate for a regressive IR agenda, the peak body for working people has warned.

The Change the Rules campaign will continue until working people get a fair go. We will campaign as long as it takes.

Scott Morrison refused to outline an alternative vision for Australian workers and can claim no mandate to continue down the path of reducing working people’s rights nor can he claim a mandate to further erode workers’ living standards.

Millions voted for better laws for working people and the incoming government must take those views into account.

The Australian Union movement will work every day, starting immediately, to hold this Government to account and to advocate for urgently needed rights for working people.

Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus: “The re-election the Morrison Government gives them no mandate whatsoever to further pursue an anti-worker agenda.

“Morrison’s silence, despite repeated requests, on industrial relations policy means he has no mandate to undermine worker’s rights, pay or job security.

“This election shows how much the rich and powerful will invest, and how far they will go, to maintain a system that benefits them at the expense of the vast majority of Australians.

“Our response will be to re-double our efforts until we win change.

“I thank every union member and volunteer who has been party of the fight so far to make Australia a fairer place.

“The election of the Morrison government doesn’t change the fact that we have the highest level of inequality in 70 years and that more Australians are insecure work than ever before.

“To the millions who voted to change the government we will continue to fight for better rules for working people.

“Our aim is to turn around 30 years of damaging trickle-down economics. We have build an incredible amount of momentum in a short time and we will only grow stronger. Our campaign will continue until we turn around inequality in our country and we have a fair go for all.”

Facebook Feedback On the commencement of the Union’s ERO and Work Value cases Sidonie - Proud to be part of the IEU. Your commitment to ‘raising the bar’ in both working conditions and parity of wages is appreciated by all members. Keep fighting the good fight!!! Xx Ariane - Thankyou all for your hard work. It has been phenomenal. I’m sure every early childhood teacher in NSW appreciates the ongoing support for our sector from the IEU. Good luck! Can’t wait for my turn next week.

Samuel - Work value cases are hard yards. Onya Louise – Good luck thanks for the hard work and commitment to us Eve – Good luck and thank you for representing us.

Sarah – Keep up the good fight Matty – Good luck. Hit ‘em right in the Tories!

Mons – Power to you IEU NSW/ACT! Tired of our teachers being undervalued and underpaid.

On NAPLAN Claire - So, protesting against climate inaction is a waste of time, and kids should have been in class, while repeating 2 days of ridiculous, upsetting tests is fine?

Simon - We need to strongly push to scrap national standards. New Zealand were able to do it in 2017, focusing more on actual teaching.

Sharon - Our school did paper tests. They went perfectly with no hassles. I cannot imagine the stress of online tests that don’t work. Poor kids.

Sarz - our school had a glitch where it started giving the test in spoken and written Chinese Carole - Why are we not surprised. Here is an example

of a complete waste of money and effort. NAPLAN is not useful, not relevant and the funding should be invested in classroom support, training and establishing ‘special’ learning units in every school. Every department that provides public services is underfunded, doesn’t have enough staff and any software produced isn’t tested sufficiently before launching. Let’s face it, the system is not working well, because there’s not enough money to go around.

Tom - NAPLAN should be scrapped. I remember in primary school what a stressful time that was for teachers who had to reorganise their curriculum to address NAPLAN content Sandra - This test and its administration are holding back millions of students in our nation from an adequate education. newsmonth - Vol 39 #4 2019

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GIVEAWAY SPECIAL Winning for Women

Winning for Women, A Personal Story by Iola Mathews is a new book which covers a time of major reform for women.

Mathews is an author, co-founder of the Women’s Electoral Lobby and a former journalist with The Age. She worked for the ACTU as an industrial officer and advocate, specialising in women’s employment, for which she was awarded an OAM. She was the advocate in the parental leave case and equal pay case for child care workers and clerical workers.

More recently she established writers’ studios in the National Trust property Glenfern in Melbourne.

“A great story of a moment of immense change for working women in Australia, and the people in the movement that made it possible” - ACTU President Sally McManus.

“Iola Mathews has written a fascinating insider account of how she battled for major reforms for women, especially during her time at the ACTU, where she won a landmark case on parental leave and wage justice for child care and clerical workers.

It is so important to know the story behind these historic victories” - Anne Summers.

IEU is offering Winning for Women as a giveaway special. See details below to enter.

Expressions of interest – NESA Special Education Committee The IEU welcomes expressions of interest from members who would like to represent the Union on the NESA Special Education Committee.

Applications will be considered by the Secretary and will be assessed on merit, taking into consideration: • active Union membership, and • professional experience.

In your application to the Union, please provide relevant and recent information which addresses the above criteria. Include all contact details in your application (school/home/mobile/ phone and email).

IEU members who are nominated to NESA committees on behalf of the Union accept these positions with the understanding that they represent the voice of practicing teachers, that they will be consultative with other teachers, and responsive to the wider views of IEU members.

The NESA Special Education Committee meets approximately two to three times a year. For successful applicants, expenses incurred will be met by NESA. Please forward a brief application to tania@ieu.asn.au The closing date for applications is 15 July 2019.

Giveaways

Games on the Go Published by: Lonely Planet Kids Three copies to give away

Wraith Author: Shane and Alex Smithers Published by: Magabala Books Three copies to give away James can fly, though his landings need some work.

However, that’s the least of his problems when he crash lands into a city in the clouds. Soon James is drawn into a race against time to find the SAFFIRE, a new technology designed to save the city from the effects of climate change. Finding his way home seems impossible but with the help of Aureole, a young girl determined to save her city, James just might be able to fly away and help save the city in the process.

“Are we there yet?” Banish the boredom of long car journeys and big trips with Games on the Go, a fun and colourful mix of spotting games, drawing challenges, word searches, dingbats and more.

A must pack addition on any family trip, it fits easily inside hand luggage and can be deployed in seconds!

Comes with 40 wipe-clean cards and a dry-erase pen, all stored in a small, handy box.

Games include: • road trip bingo • turning fingerprints into colourful friends • Amazon rainforest-themed crossword • wildlife watching • drawing suitcase contents • dingbats and puzzles • mazes • drawing favourite meals • making star constellations • designing flags, and • noughts and crosses.

Yesterday You Were Here Author: Melissa Little Publisher: Wakefield Press One copy to give away This touching, carefully sparse picture book for young readers aims to help young people dealing with the loss of a loved one to process and talk about their grief.

‘In sadness this book will be a kind friend.’ -Michael O’Connell, AM, APM, Commissioner for Victims’ Rights Loss at anytime is challenging, but it is part of life. Grief is our natural response to loss. Imagine it through the lens of a child. Yesterday you were here. Today you are gone.

How do we make sense of the sadness?

Yesterday You Were Here won’t answer all the questions that may arise, but simply promote discussion and give children the opportunity to think about their grief.

There is a help page for parents and caregivers to help guide their children through the book, please read this before reading the story. There are also interactive pages to encourage your children to write or draw how they feel, a memory they have or what they would like to say to their special friend. Ages: 3-6 years old

Email entries to giveaways@ieu.asn.au with the giveaway you are entering in the subject line and your name, membership number and address in the body of the email. All entries to be received by 26 July 2019.

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newsmonth - www.ieu.asn.au

IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Executive

NGS Super wins 2019 Best Fund Insurance Bernard O’Connor NGS Super

The Chant West best insurance offering through a superannuation fund was again won by NGS Super, making it the winner in the past three out of five years.

The Fund provides Life and Terminal Illness, Total and Permanent Disability and Income Protection insurance for eligible members through TAL Life Limited (TAL).

The criteria used by Chant West (rating agency) considered the overall quality of its insurance products, taking into account the benefit design, the policy conditions and the member experience.

It is pleasing to be recognised nationally for the hard work and expertise of the insurance team in designing the award winning product which has benefited thousands of NGS Super members over the years.

NGS Super CEO, Laura Wright said: “We’re honoured to again be recognised as the super fund that delivers the best insurance, particularly against such a strong field. Our back-to-back win is a testament to the fact that we are offering insurance to our members that is considered the best in its class and importantly demonstrates the hard work and dedication of our staff in delivering added value to our members beyond the offering”.

The design is aimed at suiting members at various ages and places in their life cycle. The structure is trapezoidal with cover starting low for members in their 20s, then increasing in the mid-30s, with significant death and terminal illness cover for members in their 40s linked with a moderate TPD cover at this age supplemented by meaningful Income Protection cover (which may provide monthly disability benefits to supplement a lump sum TPD claim).

Levels of death cover start to decrease for members in their 50s and cut out completely at age 75.

So a 40 year old default member would have a sum insured for death cover of

$550,000 and a TPD cover of $140,000 (all levels of cover and premiums are available in the Insurance Guide).

Significantly Income Protection cover has been increased to a five year benefit payment period for eligible members. It is also worth noting that extra options exist to increase cover (for example Income Protection cover to age 65) as well as higher levels of death and TPD cover.

Members may apply for these options to further customise the cover they need and acceptance is generally based on the medical evidence provided to the insurer.

NGS Super members are also able to fix their Death/TPD cover at a certain level with insurance premiums increasing annually.

It is also significant to note that the award winning design has removed crosssubsidisation. This means that no age cohort is paying extra to subsidise another age cohort. It is a user-based premium payment system.

So the purpose-built default cover targets the average needs of the mostly homogeneous membership which many larger funds are unable to do because their membership includes various industry categories.

TAL also focusses on rehabilitation and seeks to assist members return to work.

The insurer identifies claimants who could potentially benefit from rehabilitation and pays for the professional services designed to assist the claimant return to work.

Another innovation which contributed to the win is the strong online capability of the insurer, TAL. Online and tele-claims are possible, making it easy for members to lodge a claim. Tele-claims use Green ID which means members do not have to sign anything to submit their claims, removing the former requirement of the dreaded forms.

It is pleasing to receive this industry recognition and even more pleasing to know that NGS Super members are benefiting from this award winning insurance product.

(Important information: The information in this article is general information only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a financial decision, please assess the appropriateness of the information to your individual circumstances, read the Produce Disclosure Statement for any product you may be thinking of acquiring and consider seeking personal advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Any opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS Super.)

John Quessy Secretary Gloria Taylor Deputy Secretary Carol Matthews Assistant Secretary Mark Northam Assistant Secretary Chris Wilkinson President St Joseph’s Catholic College East Gosford Louise Glase Vice President Non Systemic St Patrick’s College Campbelltown Bernadette Baker Vice President Systemic St Mary’s Cathedral College Sydney Carolyn Collins Vice President Support Staff St Michael's Primary School Nowra Gabrielle Connell Vice President ECS Teacher, NESA Accreditation Supervisor Leah Godfrey Vice President ACT St Thomas The Apostle Primary School Kambah Peter Moore Financial Officer De La Salle College Cronulla Professional Development 27 June PIP Work Hoarse Voice Care

– online 1 July Book Club 8 July Accreditation at Proficient

Teacher – Ultimo and online 31 July PIP Work Hoarse Voice Care

– online 12 August PIP Work Hoarse Voice Care

– online 13 August Supervising Accreditation at

Proficient 1 – online 19 August PIP Work Hoarse Voice Care

– online 21 August Beginning to Proficient – online 22 August Supervising Accreditation at

Proficient 2 – online

Marie MacTavish Financial Officer Casual teacher Maitland-Newcastle Diocese General Executive Members John O’Neill Carroll College Broulee Jeff Pratt Marist College North Shore Suzanne Penson Mackillop College Port Macquarie Ross Conlon O’Connor Catholic High School Armidale Helen Templeton Presbyterian Ladies College Armidale Denise McHugh NESA Liaison Officer Patricia Murnane McCarthy Catholic College Emu Plains Tina Ruello Catherine McAuley College Westmead Simon Goss Holy Spirit Primary School Lavington Anna Luedi St Mary’s Catholic Primary North Sydney

26 August The Australian Professional

Standards for Teachers –

Standard 1 and 2 – online 28 August Supervising Accreditation at

Proficient 3 – online 3 September The Australian Professional

Standards for Teachers –

Standard 3, 4 and 5 – online 4 September PIP Maintenance of Accreditation 5 September Debate – Ultimo and online 9 September Book Club – online 11 September The Australian Professional

Standards for Teachers –

Standard 6 & 7 – online 30 September Accreditation at Proficient

Teacher – Ultimo and online

with Professional Development and Reps Training

www.ieu.asn.au Our locations Sydney 485-501 Wattle Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 (02) 8202 8900 Parramatta Level 2, 18-20 Ross Street, Parramatta NSW 2150 (02) 8202 8900 Newcastle 8-14 Telford Street, Newcastle East NSW 2302 (02) 4926 9400 Lismore 4 Carrington Street, Lismore NSW 2480 (02) 6623 4700 ACT Unit 8, 40 Brisbane Avenue, Barton ACT 2600 (02) 6120 1500

newsmonth - Vol 39 #4 2019

19

We’ve made a promise.

To be there for the educators, the inspirers and the nurturers.

To care for you when you’re sick (and when you’re not). Because when you’re at your best, you can bring out the best in others too.

Andrew, principal & THF member

We’re for teachers – that’s our promise.

To find out more about what we can do for you, head to teachershealth.com.au/promise Eligibility criteria and conditions apply. Teachers Federation Health Ltd ABN 86 097 030 414 trading as Teachers Health.

A Registered Private Health Insurer. THF-IEU-NSW/ACT-06/19

You work hard for your money. Let us help your money work hard for you.

Eligibility criteria and conditions apply.

Teachers Federation Health Ltd ABN 86 097 030 414 trading as Teachers Health. A Registered Private Health Insurer. THF-AEU-01/19

YOUR FUTURE IS IN GOOD HANDS.

As your high-performing Industry SuperFund, we’re here to help you make the right financial decisions now to put you on track towards achieving the future you deserve.

For more information, please visit ngssuper.com.au/crm or call us on 1300 133 177.

10 YR PLATINUM PERFORMANCE 2009–2019

ngssuper.com.au 1300 133 177

SUPERRATINGS PLATINUM 2019 MYCHOICE SUPER

SUPERRATINGS PLATINUM 2019 PENSION

SuperRatings does not issue, sell, guarantee or underwrite this product. Go to superratings. com.au for details of its ratings criteria.

For further information about the methodology used by Chant West, see chantwest.com.au

Issued by NGS Super Pty Limited ABN 46 003 491 487 AFSL No 233 154 the trustee of NGS Super ABN 73 549 180 515

4041 (0619)

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